1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging member to be used for packaging a to-be-packaged member and a packaging method for packaging a to-be-packaged member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, an image forming apparatus is known in which a cylindrical toner container containing toner is detachably provided to an image forming apparatus body, and the toner is supplied to a development unit of the image forming apparatus body from the toner container (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-287404).
The toner container includes a container body and a bottle cap. On the face of one end of the container body, an opening having a diameter smaller than the container body is provided. In a state where the edge of the opening is in contact with a sealing member installed at a sealing member installation part provided on a bottle cap, the container body and the bottle cap engage together at an engagement part. Further, as a result of the sealing member being used to seal between the container body and the bottle cap so as to prevent any gap from occurring therebetween, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking from the inside of the toner container to the outside.
The toner container is transported in a state where it is stored in a packaging box when it is shipped from a factory or so. However, when a shock is given to the packaging box from the outside, for example, as a result of the container box being dropped during the transportation, the shock may transmit to the toner container in the inside of the packaging box, and the toner container may be damaged. Therefore, for example, a pair of cushioning members are installed onto the bottle cap and the container body in such a manner to sandwich the toner container from axial directions of the toner container, the toner container is contained in the packaging box together with the cushioning members in this state, and thus, the cushioning members ease the shock transmitting to the toner container.
However, even when the shock is eased by the cushioning members, the shock given to the container body from the outside may reach the container body or the bottle cap, and a force may be applied to the bottle cap in the axial directions of the toner container such that the bottle cap may be inclined with respect to the container body. When such a force is applied to the bottle cap, the sealing member between the bottle cap and the toner container may be shifted, a gap may be created between the bottle cap and the toner container, and the toner may leak through the gap.
Further, also in a case where a to-be-packaged member to be contained in the packaging box via the cushioning members is other than the toner container, various problems may occur as a result of a shock being given to the packaging box from the outside. For example, even when the packaging box receives a shock from the outside and the shock is eased by the cushioning members, the shock may be transmitted to a predetermined part of the to-be-packaged member such as a place where high accuracy of form is required or a place where a precision member such as an electronic part is installed. If so, the place where high accuracy of form is required may be deformed and the high accuracy of form may not be obtained any more, the precision member may be damaged and may not operate properly, or so.